posted at 3:25 pm on September 16, 2011 by Ed Morrissey

Someone needs to alert AttackWatch to a new series of personal attacks from Barack Obama’s critics, this time on the sudden spike of foreclosure notices. These angry and vicious attacks accuse Obama of being “AWOL” on the mortgage crisis and “irresponsible.” While the White House tries to claim credit for its mortgage programs, these obviously biased partisans declare those programs to be “abysmal failures.”

Man, someone really needs to start AW dossiers on those House … Democrats?

Leading House Democrats are accusing the Obama administration of ignoring the lingering mortgage crisis and threatening tens-of-millions of Americans with foreclosure in the process.

The lawmakers – encouraged by Obama’s mention of mortgage-relief in his address to Congress last week – were quickly deflated just days later when their efforts to learn the details of the White House plan proved unsuccessful.

“The administration has been AWOL on this issue,” charged Rep. Dennis Cardoza (D-Calif.), “and the American people are suffering because of the mismanagement.”

“In my entire political career, I’ve never seen anything this irresponsible,” he added.

Once again, Obama and his team have mastered the art of inflating expectations while failing to deliver. According to Cardoza, Obama personally promised the Democratic Caucus on June 2nd that he would propose a new, “very significant” housing initiative this month. When Democrats didn’t hear anything about it for three months, they requested to have Federal Housing Finance Agency (FHFA) head Edward DeMarco speak to them; the White House sent some career staffers from FHFA instead. And when they discovered that no one at FHFA knew anything about a new housing initiative, Cardoza and his caucus blew up.

Now Cardoza and Elijah Cummings have written a letter to Obama demanding that he make DeMarco available. Jim Costa ripped Obama’s “contradictory policies” that have extended and deepened the mortgage crisis. Cardoza offered his own analysis of Obama’s policies:

“I couldn’t wait to get Obama in office because I was sure a Democrat would do a better job,” Cardoza said, referring to the foreclosure-relief efforts under the Bush administration. “And, frankly, nothing’s happened. The programs that were put in place were abysmal failures.”

I’d say we have consensus on that conclusion. We can extend that to the entire Obama administration, and not just its economic policies but also the ability to work with Congress in any meaningful fashion. How difficult would it have been to provide DeMarco for a consultation? For that matter, why promise a housing initiative to a President’s own House caucus and then do no follow-up at all? Put this together with the embarrassing debacle with Senate Democrats on the jobs bill, and it adds up to an executive who is clearly in over his head, surrounded by people who aren’t much better at their jobs, either.

For the record, the spike in foreclosures isn’t a sign of new weakness in the housing market. It’s a sign that the normal process of concluding failed loans has finally begun to work again. These are mainly properties that have been in default for a couple of years or more, but held up because of significant failures to properly handle paperwork by the lenders. Dumping so many properties onto the market at once might lower prices for a short period, but the defaults have been well known for a long time.

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Why does this so remind me of the Louisiana thing back when the oil rig blew up? They say they’re going to help. They do nothing. Then when people get mad, they send some low level staffer who knows nothing and has no power…

This is amazing. Obama actually has had the nerve to treat his own colleagues in Congress the same way he treats the American people — thinking that all he has to do is give a few speeches and a tough problem is magically solved. He really doesn’t understand that he has to make actual policy proposals. Unbelievable.

Like I said on here about the committee of prominent Dems asking Obama not to run. I wouldn’t be surprised if he has already been asked and he refused to not run for a second term. Now this committee is tightening the screws on Obama to help him see why he should accept their offer now and bow out gracefully. It’s curious the number of revelations in recent days that are getting so much attention… Soldyndra, Fast and Furious, pressuring the Air Force General to change testimony, Lightsquared, NY and NV special elections, and now members of his own party flat out thumbing their nose at him. They desperately want him out.

Obama was recruited to run for president under the deal that he would be basically the celebrity endorser of all the liberal Democrats’ pet projects, and that his star status would then make those projects unassailable by the right (and even if they were assailed, Obama provided the left with the ability to play the race card on all their enemies).

It’s like Jamie Lee Curtis endorsing that Dannon yogurt that makes you crap better — she doesn’t actually make the yogurt, she’s just there to make you buy the yogurt that in the end produces the crap. Obama never signed on to this gig to do the grunt work of making policy; he was just supposed to support it and then get the credit when it passed. Now that those same policies are unpopular and the Dems are looking for a real savior, they’re mad that Obama is nothing more than the propped up fraud they bamboozled swing voters into supporting in 2008.

These angry and vicious attacks accuse Obama of being “AWOL” on the mortgage crisis and “irresponsible.”

Freeloaders wonder: “Where’s the free money from your stash so that taxpayers can pay for the house I couldn’t afford in the first place? How about a refundable credit of $100 multiplied by the number of dumps I take in the overpriced home I purchased. You can create jobs by underwriting a company that will manufacture and install a dump-o-meters around the country in any home purchased after Bush was inaugurated so long as the purchaser has contributed to Democratic candidates during that same period.”

he would be basically the celebrity endorser of all the liberal Democrats’ pet projects, and that his star status would then make those projects unassailable by the right (and even if they were assailed, Obama provided the left with the ability to play the race card on all their enemies).

The thing is, how long can an ego like his take this kind of non-stop criticism from so-called allies before it starts to the crack? I doubt we’ll have to wait long to find out. I’d feel sorry for the guy if he wasn’t such a pinko tool.

It’s like Jamie Lee Curtis endorsing that Dannon yogurt that makes you crap better — she doesn’t actually make the yogurt, she’s just there to make you buy the yogurt that in the end produces the crap.

Ed, you’ll be gratified to know that I have reported this malicious lie about Lord O’Baaaahma to Attaaaaaaaaaaaaack Waaaaaaaaaaaaatch!, as many others no doubt have, and I have reported you (again) for repeating these malicious lies.

Now that those same policies are unpopular and the Dems are looking for a real savior, they’re mad that Obama is nothing more than the propped up fraud they bamboozled swing voters into supporting in 2008.

jon1979 on September 16, 2011 at 3:39 PM

Unintended consequences. Only now, they have the race card staring them directly in the face, plus, lobster becoming an endangered species anywhere close to Martha’s Vineyard, and being unable to honestly address that particular problem.

It’s like Jamie Lee Curtis endorsing that Dannon yogurt that makes you crap better — she doesn’t actually make the yogurt, she’s just there to make you buy the yogurt that in the end produces the crap.

jon1979 on September 16, 2011 at 3:39 PM

PERFECT analogy!

VibrioCocci on September 16, 2011 at 3:45 PM

Ha! Now look at the accompanying pic on the main page and think of an appropriate caption for it:

Now that those same policies are unpopular and the Dems are looking for a real savior, they’re mad that Obama is nothing more than the propped up fraud they bamboozled swing voters into supporting in 2008.

jon1979 on September 16, 2011 at 3:39 PM

They always knew he was a fraud. Notice how it took them 3 years to finally admit it? When elections are just right around the corner? They knew. Now, in order to appear dutiful and diligent, to their constituents, they act like they’re on top of things. They’ve had 3 years, just like Obama. And only now are they showing discontent and anger.

The Administration is shutting off Ed DeMarco. They won’t let him talk to anyone. I have this on very good authority. The White House wanted FHFA to push a huge mortgage writedown scheme that would have cost Fannie and Freddie (that is, you and me since we own them now) billions more than they have already sucked out of us. DeMarco refused. Then he announced the FHFA is suing all the big banks, and he didn’t tell the White House beforehand.

Ed, you’ll be gratified to know that I have reported this malicious lie about Lord O’Baaaahma to Attaaaaaaaaaaaaack Waaaaaaaaaaaaatch!, as many others no doubt have, and I have reported you (again) for repeating these malicious lies.

Jaibones on September 16, 2011 at 3:47 PM

It really is an unending source of merriment. The gift that truly keeps on giving…

Good old “blue dogs” Cardoza and Costa. Where were those POS’s re Obamacare and the administration fkn. with the central valley’s water supplies? Then with the greatest of ease Costa runs commercials claiming he saved our water——and pulled out a very narrow win.

The Administration is shutting off Ed DeMarco. They won’t let him talk to anyone. I have this on very good authority. The White House wanted FHFA to push a huge mortgage writedown scheme that would have cost Fannie and Freddie (that is, you and me since we own them now) billions more than they have already sucked out of us. DeMarco refused. Then he announced the FHFA is suing all the big banks, and he didn’t tell the White House beforehand.

rockmom on September 16, 2011 at 5:03 PM

Holy cow! Does this mean that agencies are going rogue on this administration? And can DeMarco just do that? I’m trying to wrap my brain around what this portends…..

Holy cow! Does this mean that agencies are going rogue on this administration? And can DeMarco just do that? I’m trying to wrap my brain around what this portends…..

piglet on September 16, 2011 at 5:59 PM

Yes, he has gone rogue. He is acting director of FHFA and is in a civil service job so he can’t be fired. The Administration has failed to get anyone confirmed as Director. DeMarco’s priority is to get Fannie and Freddie solvent and then close them down. The big banks are all sucking up to the White House and did not want to have to take back any of the crap loans they sold to Fannie and Freddie. They are crying to the WH that they will be hurt too badly and be unable to compete with other banks if they have to take back all the crap. They want Fannie and Freddie to absorb at least some of the losses so they don’t have to.

Looks like BOAC is hungry, and, having absorbed Countrywide, will begin rooting for cash. IMHO, if the homes were going to appreciate, BOAC would be holding tighter. On the other hand, they need 8.5 billion

However, accelerating foreclosures will depress the market. The backlog is huge. Who’s gonna buy them? Cash or credit?